The second emerged challenge in making supply chains sustainable is
related to difficulties of operationalization. Following factors may contribute
to the challenge of making sustainable supply chains operationally
feasible by creating inertia i.e. a fear and high resistance to change.
Knowledge asymmetry
Although awareness about triple bottom lines is increasing, it became apparent from the research studies that knowledge asymmetry regarding
all of their criteria has also increased as they are interpreted differently in
practice. Due to the wide range of criteria that come under umbrella of macro definition
of sustainable development offered by the Brundtland
Commission, it is difficult to interpret all the triple bottom lines and their criteria
from the micro levels and what it concretely means in different parts of supply
chains. In addition, there is knowledge asymmetry regarding nature and extend
of responsibilities of businesses which makes it difficult to comprehend among
whom the responsibilities are shared in the supply chains. Due to difficulties
in translating the triple bottom lines into relevant and prioritized activities
for every process and/or stakeholder, they are rarely addressed beyond triadic relationships in
the supply chains.
Change of mind-sets and behavior
Another obstacle towards operationalization is related to difficulties in
changing the stakeholders’ mind-sets and behaviour.
Although there are evidence-based scientific claims about environmental and social problems
caused by supply chains activities, there are still resisting mindsets that
reject the claims or ignoring mindsets that erase the claims. Changing the
mindsets becomes further challenging when the cultural or organizational
distances in the supply chains increase. It also became apparent in the
research studies that long-term strategic thinking; visionary leadership; and engagement
or commitment by the co-workers might be lacking. Reluctance to turn intent
into action and lack of consensus or misalignment between behavior or practice
and visions will wash the sustainability as its talk cannot walk.
Difficulties in change of behavior may also be
due to reductionist, positivistic, objective, and linear ways of thinking; compartmentalization and lack of completeness in perceiving sustainability; bounded rationality i.e. imperfection of human reasoning and impossibility of taking completely
ideal decisions; and satisficing i.e. behavior that
satisfies limited aspirations without optimizing.
Uncertainties
Uncertainties can also hinder operationalization. For example, as highlighted in
the research studies, there are strategic uncertainties regarding sustainability
consequences of supply chain design such as time perspectives regarding
changes in logistical set-ups and infrastructures; government
legislations/ regulations and decisions; localization
of production or primary industries; sourcing of material and
components; facility location of static resources; commercialization of new clean technologies;
competitive advantages and strategies formulated by stakeholders; and the nature of future fossil-free
fuels and renewable energies and infrastructural changes for their production and
distribution especially in global markets.
In addition, there are also a number of operational uncertainties or
dilemmas in choice of the existing fuels, routing of the vehicles/fleet,
negotiation of contracts, quality and timing in return flows in reverse
logistics, unexpected/unforeseen
incidents like order cancellation, delivery-time changes, consumer behaviour
and demands, traffic congestion, road construction, flea markets, natural
disasters, weather changes, accidents, mechanical failures, etc.
In
order to decrease knowledge asymmetry, themes of sustainability have to be well
understood and all the stakeholders should be persuaded. Researchers and media
have a great responsibility for reducing the existing gap and inertia by
providing scientific claims and sharing knowledge.
A pattern of sustainability emerges if the values and norms are
understood, pursued, and integrated into behavior, strategies, and operations
of all stakeholders as well as their organizations and interrelationships.
Without operationalizing the strategies, sharing the responsibilities, and
taking part and initiatives sustainability will be washed. In order to walk the
talk of sustainability, “taken for granted mindsets” need to be changed and
inertia against the operationalization of innovative processes need to be
minimized.
As supply chains are dynamically transformative systems, all
uncertainties existing in their transitions towards the sustainability targets
cannot be omitted. However, the authorities should give the stakeholders enough
confidence that the long-term targets will be persuaded, transparency in
regulations and norms will be guaranteed, and innovative acceptable solutions
will be fostered. In addition, resilience and self-organizing capacities of supply chains in dealing with uncertainties should increase.
